All Terrain Vehicles or ATV's have enjoyed recent widespread popularity. They find use in almost all types of terrains from desert areas, wooded areas, and even use in areas covered with snow. They are used as part of one's job, for hunting, camping, search and rescue, general recreation, or just plain fun. Other small vehicles such as golf carts, riding lawn mowers, snowmobiles, and tractors are also utilized by many people in diverse locations and conditions for assorted purposes. Due to the varied uses of these vehicles, many riders are required to transport their vehicles to the location of use. Transportation of these vehicles is typically accomplished by loading the vehicle in the bed of a pickup truck or trailer. Once inside the bed, many users rely on tie down ropes, ratcheting straps, and other fastening means to hold the ATV in place during transport. While these methods work, they are prone to becoming loose or breaking, and their use takes a great deal of time to both apply and remove. Additionally, there is a danger of physical injury or damage to the transportable vehicle, the transporting vehicle, or nearby traffic. These problems can lead to many people to omit their use entirely.
Various other attempts have been made to secure small vehicles to transporting vehicles without the use of chains or straps. These attempts include the use of hitch plates, lock down assemblies, and tow bars with hitch docking assemblies. Such attempts prevent proper securement of the small vehicle and present problems with attaching the securing devices to the vehicles due to difficulties in properly positioning the vehicle in relation to the securing device. These attempts also require a large amount of time and effort, particularly when only a single person is trying to secure the vehicle.
Other attempts to secure the vehicle offer adjustable posts which are mounted to the flat bed surface which then anchor a hitch plate in some type of receiving assembly or jaw. These attempts can be seen by example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,077,004, issued in the name of Denman, Jr.; 6,450,472, issued in the name of Cook, Jr.; and 7,147,415, issued in the name of Rorie et al. These attempts also present problems for the user to utilize. It can be difficult for the user to align the hitch plate with the receiving assembly, often requiring repetitive trial and error to properly adjust the height of the receiver. Additionally, these post devices can fail under stresses and torque forces presented by the attached vehicle during transportation. These devices also take up valuable cargo floor space when not being used to anchor a small vehicle during transport. In addition, none of these attempts provide increased security from theft of the small vehicle when unattended.
The disclosures of the above referenced examples are incorporated herein by reference. Each of these prior attempts suffers from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantage or deficiency with respect to design, function, or effectiveness. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which small vehicles can easily and quickly be attached to a transporting vehicle without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.